Itsy Bitsy

Venpaniye from Ko. Photo: Special Arrangement

Cool inspiration

There's a story behind the melodious tune of the song ‘Venpaniye' in Ko . Director K.V. Anand, on one of his location hunts abroad, had taken music director Harris Jayaraj to Harbin in China. “It was really cold there, and we were scouting for good spots for a few important sequences in the film. One morning, we were looking out of the window, watching the heavy mist-laden surroundings, wondering what to do. I was pleasantly surprised to see Harris take his keyboard and start playing a tune. Within half-hour, he had the entire composition of ‘Venpaniye' ready,” says Anand. Adding to the song's lustre are singers Sriram Parthasarathy and Bombay Jayashri and lyricist Pa. Vijay.

Viddarth's next

Mynaa 's hero has grabbed a deal in AVM Productions' 175th offering Mudhal Idam . Viddarth has been paired with Kavitha Nair, a new face from Kerala. Direction is by first-timer R. Kumaran, who has also done the story, screenplay and dialogues. Says producer Guhan: “We are starting this year with a small-budget film, backed by strong script. The unit is on a non-stop schedule in Thanjavur, and we hope to wrap up the film in two months.”

Rural fabric

After interesting roles in

Kalloori and

Valmiki , actor Akhil plays a villager in

Nandhi . Keeping him company is Sanusha (who played a speech-impaired in

Renigunta ). Director Tamizhvanan, whose earlier ventures include

Kalvanin Kaadhali and

Machakkaran , attempts a rural subject in

Nandhi . Giving that much-needed earthy touch to the melodies is music director Bharadwaj. “Like the holy Nandhi, which is the gatekeeper to Lord Shiva, a village too has guardians in certain individuals. I have highlighted this and life in a village, centered around love and action,” says Tamizhvanan.

Real to reel

Following the success of films such as Kasi and Naalai Namadhey , Malayalam director Vinayan is here with this fifth Tamil film — Kaadhal Vedham . New-comer Muralikrishna is paired opposite Meghna Raj, last seen in Kaadhal Solla Vandhen . “This is a Hindu-Muslim love-story based on an incident that happened in Kerala many years ago. It's about a Muslim girl falling in love with an unemployed Hindu boy. There's no objection from the girl's parents, but they request that the boy find a job. In desperation, the boy gets drawn towards terrorism,” says Vinayan.